Clannad: Ushio's Story
by SimpleSam
Summary: A story of romance, tragedy and friendship. Clannad: Ushio's Story follows the life of 17 year old Ushio Okazaki as she makes her way through her final year of high school. She will meet new people and develop relationships that will change her life forever. * Rated T for coarse language, violence and slight sexual themes - To an extent. *
1. The New Recruits

**~*A Note From The Author*~**

_Well, first off I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my fanfiction. This story is a continuation of Clannad and Clannad: After Story so there will be spoilers, of course you will have seen it though. It is set 12 years after the end of After Story. Ushio Okazaki is 17 years old and is in her senior year of high school. This story will follow her until her final days in school and her graduation. I plan for this to be around 40 chapters or so. I also plan on doing a follow up series about Ushio's life after she finishes college, of course that will only be if this becomes popular at all and I truly feel the need to do it and provide a satisfying conclusion as well as a nice sense of closure._

_If you would like to know a little bit about me I am a college student in my final year *United Kingdom so college = senior high.* I am currently studying Film, Media and English Language. Since I study English Language I mainly analyse transcripts of dialogue so my descriptive writing can be a little weak but I hope to develop this in time. Because of this I may return to some earlier chapters and revise them when I become more confident in description but as of now my main priority is getting the character's relationships and dialogue down (Of course there will be some description to make it more colourful). Also there may be points where I do not update as frequently as I would like because of my need to study and live my life but hang in there because I plan to see this through._

_In this story Ushio will meet new people, one of whom is a boy called Kaito. Some chapters will be focused more on him in order to show the two different groups in this story, Ushio's friends and Kaito's friends. Other chapters may follow some of the side characters. As the summary suggest expect love to develop between characters, friendships to form and tragedy to occur._

_So, sit back and enjoy the story. If you like this please follow and leave some feedback, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks._

* * *

**~*1*~**

It was around 3:10 pm on a warm Wednesday afternoon when Ushio Okazaki was walking to the school club rooms. She stood at 5'6 with long brown hair and chestnut eyes. She was wearing her usual school uniform made up of a yellow shirt and a blue skirt. As she passed through the long hallway, scanning each door as she went by, she stopped at one. It wasn't the place she was looking for but what made her stop was the noise coming from the other side. Muffled voices sounded as if they were shouting at each other. Being naturally curious she placed her head against the wooden door, trying to listen in. Suddenly the door swung open; as she darted out of the way something flew past her. The figure fell to the ground with a hard thud and sprung up instantly. It was a boy with messy black hair and brown eyes. He also sported the same yellow uniform but wore black trousers. The door came to a close as he leaped towards it, banging his fists on it. "Let me back in! I promise I won't mess around anymore!" He cried.  
"Get out of here Sakumoto! You're a bum!" An angry voice replied.  
"Come on! I need this credit!"  
"Well you should have thought of that before you disrespected us!" The voice shouted. The boy dropped to the floor and lent his head on the door, defeated. He rested there for a moment until he realised he wasn't alone. When he noticed a girl had witnessed this event he jumped to his feet and a nervous laugh. "How long have you been there?" he asked rather uneasy.  
"Not long..." Ushio replied in a soft, gentle voice.  
"What did you see?" The boy continued peering at her.  
"Apart from you being kicked out of this club?" she questioned with a laugh.  
"I see." He let out a sigh. "Am I in your way?" he asked.  
"No. I was just looking for the drama club" Ushio said smiling.  
"Oh, it's over this way." He motioned with his hand for her to follow, she did. "I actually might join; it is next on my list after all."  
"Next on your list?"  
"What? Oh, no it's nothing." He said in his attempt to brush her off. They came to a halt at an old door towards the end of the hallway. A piece of paper was stuck to it "Drama Club – Newcomers welcome!" was written on it. "Here we are!" The boy said with a grin. Ushio stood there staring at the paper sign. "Aren't you gonna knock?" he asked.  
"I'm just a little nervous" Ushio replied anxiously.  
"Why?" The boy asked, confused.  
"It's nothing, let's go in." She said as she knocked on the door.  
"Come on in!" a voice replied. Ushio opened the door and the two of them walked into the room. There wasn't much to it. The room was empty apart from a table, several chairs and a dozen boxes containing what looked to be props. A girl sat in the centre of all this. She had flowing violet hair with deep blue eyes and was wearing the same outfit as Ushio. "Hello, are you wanting t-" As soon as her eyes met the boy she stopped speaking. She began to shake her head. "No, no not you!" she shouted.  
"Wha... What have I done now?" The boy asked.  
"Kaito, all you do is slack off; I'm not letting you join this club!"Hissed the girl.  
"Who said I was going to join!?" He retorted.  
"Um... Hi." Ushio's voice sprung up between the two colliding forces.  
"Oh hi! You're here to join?" the girl asked, ignoring the boy.  
"That's right." Ushio smiled.  
"I'm Yumi Koharu, it's nice to meet you." she said.  
"I'm Ushio Okazaki and it's nice to meet you too" The girl gave her a warm smile.  
"Take a seat." Yumi said. Ushio did as she was asked. "Tell me, do you know much about drama?"  
"Well, I've only just started getting into it but I'm really eager to learn." Ushio assured her.  
"That's good to know" Yumi replied. The two began to get into a conversation, discussing the club and what they would be getting up to when a voice spoke out of the corner of the room. "Where are the other members?" It was the boy from earlier that the two girls had almost forgotten was with them.  
"Oh, Kaito... I forgot you were here." Yumi sneered. The boy gave her a sharp look.  
"Well?" The boy asked.  
"Well what?"  
"Where are the other members?" He repeated.  
"There are none." Yumi muttered.  
"Wait you're the only member?" Ushio asked; a little worried.  
"Yeah, the only other members were seniors from last year. Since we're seniors now, I was left to take over the club but I've had a lot of trouble getting people to join. No one seems to be interested this year, well apart from you... and Kaito." Yumi sighed. The boy began to speak  
"Wait... I still haven't said I'-"  
"Then if you're the only member how have you kept the club open for this semester?"Ushio interrupted.  
"Well, I begged the student council and they gave me until the end of this semester. I don't have long left to recruit." Yumi shrugged her shoulders with a sad look on her face.  
"How many people do you need?" Ushio asked, hoping to lift her spirits.  
"Including me?" Yumi asked, Ushio nodded "At least three." She sighed.  
"Then I'm in!" Ushio declared, determined to see it through.  
"Well, that's great!" Yumi said joyfully.  
"Guess I'll give it a go too." The boy added. Yumi stared at him for a moment.  
"Why should I let you join? I've heard you've been kicked out of five clubs already." Tutted Yumi. Ushio looked over to the boy. He stared back at her embarrassed. She could see he was uncomfortable so she gave him a smile, encouraging him to speak. "Look, people give me a hard time because of rumours. It's not my fault." Yumi remained silent. "What? Do I have to beg?" He added. Yumi grinned at him.  
"It may help." She said. The boy let out a sigh. "Fine" He placed his hands together and lifted them above his head in an exaggerated manner. "Please Yumi; I need this credit to help maintain my attendance. If I can't get into a club it'll drop and I could get kicked out of school." There was a slight pause. "How was that?" He said as he gave an uneasy laugh. Ushio studied him for a moment trying to make sense of what was going on. She felt like she knew this boy but of course she had never met him before today. "That'll do fine" Yumi gave him a pat on the head. The boy groaned and the three of them sat down as they began chatting about the club activities.

Soon the clock reached 4:15 pm. "Well, that's a wrap for our first meeting I guess." Yumi said with a smile. "We have meetings at 3:15 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday".  
"Friday!?" The boy cried "God does this get any worse!" He moaned placing his head between his hands.  
"Just remember how nice I was to you." Yumi preached, patting herself on the back.  
"Yeah that was a first." The boy laughed.  
"This was really fun but I have to get going now." Ushio said, trying to defuse the tension.  
"Okay, I need to stay here and sort a few things out so I'll see you Friday. I'll see you tomorrow, in class Kaito." She gave him a wink.  
"Oh boy, I look forward to that". He said sarcastically.  
"Uhuh, see you later." Yumi replied, ignoring what was just said. Ushio and the boy left the room and headed down the empty hallway.  
"You two are in the same class then?" Ushio asked him.  
"Huh? Oh yeah" An uncomfortable silence followed as they both tried to think of something to say. After thinking of something the two began to speak at the same time. "Why were yo-"/"What were th-" They both fell silent. "You first" The boy said with a smile.  
"If you don't mind me asking ... What were the rumours about you?" The boy hung his head when this was asked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Ushio empathized. He brought his head back up with a grin.  
"Did you ever hear about the time when the principle was hit from the rooftop with a giant water balloon?" He laughed.  
"That was you?" Ushio asked.  
"Well, since I'm such a nice guy I took the heat for my friend, Takeshi. He was already looking at a suspension from school. I got in a lot of trouble for it though. I think it was because the principle just didn't like me to begin with that my punishment was so harsh." Ushio wondered what the punishment was but felt like it would be rude to dig deeper. "So yeah, I've got a slight reputation for being a troublemaker... Which is why I was kicked out of five clubs, people don't like having me around much. It's also why I need to stay in this one. I need to keep my attendance up and my homeroom teacher is making me take extra activities for me to show my dedication. If I don't do as he says or I'll end up being kicked out and I won't graduate." He let out a sigh. "I can't wait to get out of here". Ushio wondered why he was telling her so much. She decided to brush it off for now. "So what were you going to ask me?" She said.  
"Oh... I was just wondering why you were nervous before going into the club room. You don't seem like the type to really get nervous."  
"Well, I've only really decided to do drama because of my mom."  
"Your mom?" The boy asked.  
"Yup" Ushio smiled. "She loved it when she was young but she couldn't do much of it because she would often get ill. So I thought I'd try it out and she could come and watch me. I just don't want to disappoint her." Ushio explained.  
"I see. Well, I'm sure you won't." He gave her a smile that she returned. They reached the exit of the school ground and stood outside by the large gates. "Well I'm off this way." Ushio said pointing down a road to the left.  
"I'm this way." The boy said pointing in the opposite direction.  
"Okay well, I guess I'll see you later." Ushio said.  
"Yeah, sure" The boy replied. He began to walk off as Ushio called out to him.  
"Wait a second!"  
"Yeah?" He asked.  
"I just remembered. We haven't been properly introduced yet." She laughed. "I'm Ushio Okazaki." She put out her hand. The boy looked her up and down. He smiled.  
"Well, Okazaki. I'm Kaito Sakumoto. It's nice to meet you." He shook her hand. She gave him a little nod, said farewell and set off home. Kaito stood there watching her walk off into the distance. His phone gave a buzz as he picked it out of his pocket. A text on his phone read "Where you bean? Come to the courts. Let's have a game." It was from his friend, Takeshi. "_Bean_?" He thought to himself "What an idiot." Kaito replied to the text and placed the phone back in his pocket. He stood there looking at the spot where Ushio was standing before. Then he turned around and headed off to meet his friend.

About 15 minutes later Kaito made it to the local park. It wasn't much, simply a large patch of grass with some trees and the odd bench. A few tennis and basketball courts lay at the far end. He headed over to them. As he was approaching the furthest court he could make out two figures, two boys wearing school uniforms. One was beneath the hoop bouncing a ball, the other sat up straight on the grassy banking to the side. The boy on the court was called Takeshi Fujimoto. He had straight fair hair with bright green eyes. The other boy was Junichiro Akimoto. He had short red hair and also had green eyes. Kaito walked up to them. "Hey Juni" He called.  
"Hi." Junichiro replied in a quiet voice. The other boy, Takeshi didn't seem to notice his friend had arrived.  
"Keshi. Yo Keshi!" Kaito shouted. The boy bouncing the ball turned round.  
"Oh hey man!" He gave his friend a big grin. "Where've you been? We've been waiting for ages."  
"I joined a cl-" Kaito began but was cut off by his friend.  
"Check out my 3 pointer!" Takeshi said. He stepped back and launched the ball at the hoop. The other two watched in anticipation as the ball hit the front of the rim and went flying back at Takeshi. He ducked under quick enough for Kaito to catch the ball.  
"Nice 3 pointer" Kaito laughed. Takeshi gave him a dig in the ribs. "Cheap shot man!" Kaito shouted.  
"You deserved it." Takeshi replied. Showing him his middle finger.  
"Come on guys... Get along?" Junichiro suggested.  
"Fine" Kaito said and Takeshi gave him a nod.  
"So yeah, where were you?" Takeshi said again. Kaito looked at his friends. He knew what was about to happen. "Well?" Takeshi asked.  
"I joined the drama club." Kaito declared, folding his arms and looking away. He looked back to Takeshi. His upper lip was quivering. Kaito looked towards Junichiro who was bewildered. His gaze returned to Takeshi. His lip was uncontrollable at this point. "What the hell's so funny!?"  
"You ... In the drama club. Good one _Mr. Sakumoto_." Takeshi laughed sarcastically. Kaito sighed.  
"What? Whatever man, let's just play. Come on Juni." He looked at his friend who still looked puzzled. "Juni!" Kaito shouted. His friend looked up. "Let's play." Kaito said giving him a thumbs up.  
"Yeah sure" Junichiro said joining the other two on the court.

An hour past and the boys decided to give up and head home. As they were walking down the road, away from the park Takeshi began to speak. "So yeah, you guys still up for Friday?"  
"What is it again?" Junichiro asked.  
"Duh, I got a new console. My house after school." Takeshi said, stretching his arms up.  
"Sure." Junichiro replied.  
"Kaito, you coming?" Kaito was about to speak when Junichiro cut in.  
"He can't."  
"Huh, why not?"  
"He's... Well he's in the drama club and all clubs meet on Fridays." Junichiro muttered.  
"You dumbass, that was a joke." Takeshi laughed. Kaito gave him a funny look.  
"No it wasn't." Kaito said bluntly.  
"What?" Takeshi's mouth dropped. "I thought you were messing with us!" he shouted, coming to a stop on the road.  
"You have weird reactions to things." Kaito said as he began walking off without him. Junichiro followed him leaving their friend behind.  
"Hey!" Takeshi cried. Kaito turned around.  
"What now?" He asked, getting rather annoyed.  
"Why the hell would you join a club? Let alone the drama club. You hate those kinds of things." Takeshi said.  
"Yeah, well I have to. Mr. Miyagi said I have to do some extra activities to balance out my attendance." Kaito said shrugging his shoulders.  
"That sucks man." Takeshi sighed.  
"Why are you so bothered?" Junichiro asked him.  
"Well... Now I'm the only delinquent out of us three. I mean you're a math whizz Juni." Takeshi said patting his back as Junichiro laughed, a little embarrassed. "Me and Kaito; were detention buddies. Now I'm alone!" Takeshi began to cry dramatically. Neither of the two had noticed that Kaito had given them the slip.  
"Hey! Where did Kaito go?" Takeshi asked wiping a fake tear off his cheek.  
"I guess you were annoying him... No offence." Junichiro said quietly.  
"Tsk! Forget him! Come on man let's go I've got stuff to do at home." Takeshi said. Junichiro shrugged and followed. The two continued on alone as Kaito watched them from behind a tree. He made sure the coast was clear and continued to walk down the road, counting the steps as he made his way to that lonely place he called his home.

**~*1*~**


	2. Old Faces

**~*2*~**

The long road stretched onwards as Ushio went on her way. She had left school about 15 minutes ago. Today she had joined the drama club and made two new friends, Kaito Sakumoto and Yumi Koharu. She was feeling quite satisfied with herself. As she plodded along the road, making her way home she decided that there was one person who would love to know that she had taken up drama. So, she decided to take a detour towards the local park. It was in the complete opposite way to which she had come but she didn't care. She couldn't wait to see the look on this person's face when she revealed to him that she was in the drama club and would perhaps be partaking in a performance at some point. As she past the local park she glanced over it. It was a simple place with a few trees and benches that also sported a couple of basketball and tennis courts, there used to be a makeshift baseball pitch where her family would often play but that had been replaced by what stood there now. At the end of the park she saw three boys playing basketball, she recognised one of them. It was Kaito the boy she had met that same day. She decided not to go over, after all she had only just met him and she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable in front of his friends. She assumed that the boy with fair hair was Takeshi who Kaito had spoken of before; it couldn't be the other one she thought; the boy with the red hair looked far too innocent.

She moved away from the park and came to a house. It wasn't just a house however, the front had a large sign saying "Furukawa Bakery", it was her grandparent's home. She strolled up to the bakeries' entrance. She popped her head in the door and called out. "Hello?" No reply. She entered. She called out again "Aki? Sanae?" Suddenly a woman came running through the back of the shop; she had long brown hair and looked very young for her age. It was her grandmother, Sanae Furukawa. "So my bread... my bread... Is just fit for a pillow is it!?" she cried, running past Ushio, not noticing her, and out of the shop. Ushio heard another person running towards her, she knew who it was. A man came out of the back with red hair, a few gray strands here and there yet he also retained his youth. He had a mouthful of bread and was trying to shout something. "I... Wu..v... Th..m!" He saw Ushio and came to a halt; it was her grandfather Akio Furukawa.  
"Aki! Have you been messing with Sanae again?" Ushio asked, raising an eye brow. Akio looked at her and swallowed the bread in his mouth. He gave a deep sigh.  
"Hey kiddo! How're you doing?" He bellowed. Ushio folded her arms.  
"Aki, answer the question." She ordered. He hung his head.  
"I was sleeping on her bread in the kitchen. I was only resting my eyes for a few minutes and then she came in and well... You know how it goes." He laughed.  
"I do know." She kept her gaze on her grandfather and smiled, placing her arms around him. He squeezed her tight and let her go; he grabbed a cigarette out of his pocket along with a lighter. Placing the lighter towards the cigarette he lit it and blew a ring of smoke out of his mouth.  
"I really hate that." Ushio said, scolding him.  
"Hey now, I got enough of that off of your mother, I don't need you on my case about this, it's only a bit of smoke." Akio sulked. Ushio rolled her eyes at him.  
"Guess what I did today Aki."  
"Um... You went to school?" He laughed.  
"That really wasn't funny" Ushio replied.  
"I'm only messing kiddo, what'd you get up to?"  
"I joined the school's drama club!" Ushio said with excitement in her eyes.  
"Really? Hey that's great kid! Guess you've got more of me in you then I thought!" Akio jested.  
"Huh?" Ushio said giving him a worried look.  
"I'm messing kid! Good for you. You're mom is sure to be happy." He replied.  
"Yup." Ushio nodded with a smile. "By the way shouldn't you be going after Sanae? I don't think she noticed me through her tears..." Akio suddenly came to his senses.  
"Ah! Sanae!" He cried running to the front door, he came to another halt. "Hey kiddo, are you staying for dinner?" He asked.  
"I can't, I have work to do." Ushio replied with a smile.  
"You gonna be okay walking home then?" He asked.  
"Yup." She replied.  
"See ya later then kiddo!"  
"See ya" She laughed. Akio cleared his throat.  
"Sanae! I love them!" He yelled running out of the door after his wife. Ushio followed after him and headed for home.

About 30 minutes later Ushio had made her way to her home. She lived in a nice area, past the rough end of her town. She had to pass through it in order to reach her home yet it had calmed down a lot over the years. She would often hear stories about the gang violence that went on and that one day it had all come to a stop as the two gangs had joined forces. Of course she never knew what to believe as a lot of wild theories and tales went around the town, some of which involved her parents, those were always her favourite stories. She passed through the small garden and came up to the front door. She pushed it open and entered. Sounds came from the kitchen, someone was cooking. Ushio called in. "I'm home".  
"I'm in the kitchen!" A gentle voice cried out. Ushio made her way through the living room and into the kitchen. It was a decent size, well-kept and clean. In the middle, in front of the stove stood Ushio's mother, Nagisa Okazaki. She was very pretty, with shoulder length brown hair that matched her hazel eyes, much like Ushio. She wore a white apron that read 'Dango' and had a pattern of dumplings spread across it. "Hi mom." Ushio said.  
"Hi sweetheart, you're home later than usual, how was school?" She asked, with a gentle smile, watching her simmering pot.  
"It was good. I met some new people today. A girl Yumi and a boy, Kaito."  
"Are they nice?" Nagisa asked.  
"Yup. We're in the drama club together."  
"The drama club? You joined?" Nagisa asked excitedly.  
"Mmmhmm" Ushio hummed fighting her grin.  
"Aw sweetie that's great! I can't wait to watch you perform!" Nagisa said, hugging Ushio.  
"Thanks mom" Ushio muttered, breaking free of her mother's grip. "Is dad home?"  
"He's working late tonight hun, he won't be home until 11 or so." Replied Nagisa.  
"Okay, I've got homework to do so I'll be in my room."  
"I'll call you for dinner." Nagisa smiled. Ushio headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom.

The next day at lunch the school cafeteria was crowded. Ushio, who usually took a bento to school, made her way past the large crowds of students and out to the school courtyard. It was a quiet place, few people came to eat here. It was full of greenery and flowers with the odd bench here and there. She saw a familiar face sat out on one of the benches. It was her friend, Kumiko Nakahara, sat down eating her bento as she always did. She looked quite similar to Ushio. People would often assume they were sisters. Kumiko had a brown bob of hair with clear blue eyes, one of the only things to set her apart from Ushio. A large set of head phones covered her head, she loved music. "Kumiko!" Ushio yelled as she approached her friend. No answer. "Kumiko!" Ushio repeated, waving her hand in front of Kumiko's face. Kumiko jumped at the sudden movement and pulled her head phones down as the calming tune of a piano leaked through them.  
"Oh hi Ushio, I didn't notice you." She said with a laugh.  
"You never do." Ushio replied. "What's it today?"  
"Ayako Uehara**. **Her work is pretty wonderful." Kumiko stated, brushing her hair behind her ears.  
"I meant the bento." Ushio said rolling her eyes.  
"Oh! Erm, the usual. What about you?"  
"The usual." Ushio said, taking a seat next to her friend.  
"So how was the drama club?" Kumiko asked.  
"Yeah, it was good. There are only three of us. Me, this girl called Yumi Koharu and a boy, Kaito Sakumoto." She replied, fiddling with the lid of her bento.  
"Sakumoto?" Kumiko repeated.  
"Yup."  
"Why does that sound familiar?" She wondered.  
"I'll give you a hint, water balloons." She laughed.  
"Oh, right. Yeah I know him. He's friends with Junichiro right?"  
"Junichiro in you maths class?" Ushio asked.  
"Yeah, he mentioned him once."  
"I don't know. You're probably right though. I mean we haven't spoken much yet."  
"Junichiro said he was a bit of a trouble maker."  
"Do you two talk a lot?" Ushio questioned, with a slight grin.  
"Hmm? Well, we do sit next to each other." Kumiko said bluntly.  
"Awwwww Kumiko!"  
"What?" Kumiko asked in a worried voice.  
"You like him!" Ushio laughed as her friend blushed.  
"No! He's just cute is all." Kumiko replied, trying to hide her face.  
"I can keep a secret!" Ushio yelled.  
"Then stop shouting and I'll believe you." Kumiko retorted.  
"Okay, okay." Ushio said with a big smile, putting her arm around her friend.  
"Can we not talk about it anymore?" Kumiko asked.  
"Okay." Ushio replied. The two went quiet. "Ayako Uehara is pretty wonderful." Ushio said.  
"Yeah, she is." Kumiko replied. The two girls giggled as they continued to eat their lunches.

Back in the busy cafeteria three boys were sat at the far end of a large table. Their heads were barely visible in the midst of the crowd, three heads could barely be seen. One black, one fair and one red, Kaito, Takeshi and Junichiro. Junichiro was happily eating his bento as Takeshi and Kaito looked on, stomachs rumbling. "Well, you always come prepared." Takeshi said, poking Junichiro's arm.  
"I said you could have some." Junichiro said, swatting Takeshi finger away.  
"And I said no man. It's unfair for us to take your food." Said Kaito as he flicked a small paper ball he had made.  
"Yeah, you said no. I didn't." Takeshi moaned.  
"I really don't mind guys, here have some." Junichiro offered with a bright smile.  
"Thanks man, but no. It's yours." Kaito reassured him as Takeshi gave him a glare. "How much money do you have Keshi?" Kaito asked.  
"About 104 yen."  
"I've got 200." Kaito said, counting up his money. "We've got enough for some anpan."  
"Great, bean bread." Keshi replied sarcastically.  
"Come on man." Kaito said handing him the money.  
"Why should I go?" Keshi asked.  
"I'm putting in the most money, go get it." Kaito ordered.  
"Bu- bu-" Realising it was pointless Keshi let out a sigh "Fine" he said as he got up and went over to the long cue for his bean bread.  
"How's it been going anyway?" Kaito asked Junichiro whose mouth was full of rice. He took a gulp as he swallowed his rice.  
"Good." He said.  
"Yeah? What about that girl?" Kaito asked.  
"Which girl?"  
"You know, geeky math girl." Kaito laughed.  
"You didn't tell Keshi did you?" Junichiro questioned, beginning to panic.  
"No, no of course not." He said, giving a stern look. "Keshi would never shut up about it."  
"That's true." Junichiro replied, calming down.  
"So how's it going."  
"Well we talk about maths. Apart from a few other things here and there that's pretty much it." Junichiro shrugged.  
"I thought you liked her?" Kaito asked, confused.  
"Yeah, I do. You know me though, I'm terrible with this stuff, Keshi the one whose good at it."  
"No Keshi likes to think he's good at it."  
"That's true." Junichiro repeated.  
"Maybe you need to be a little bit more confident man." Kaito began " You're always so quiet."  
"You know why." Junichiro muttered.  
"Yeah but you got me and Keshi now, we've got your back. You know that."  
"Yeah I suppose." he said.  
"I dunno. Just find out what she likes, talk about it with her." Said Kaito  
"Well, she listens to a lot of music." Stated Junichiro  
"There you go buddy, talk about that."  
"I'll try but I'm no-" Junichiro began but Takeshi was on his way back.  
"Where's the anpan?" Kaito asked when Takeshi arrived.  
"I got hungry, here there's some left." Takeshi said as he produced a packet with a small piece of bread inside.  
"That's just bread!" Kaito yelled. "Thanks a lot man!"  
"Yeah, sorry man, I owe you." Takeshi said with an innocent grin on his face.  
"You bet you do, I want a dessert tomorrow."  
"What I can't afford that!" Takeshi cried.  
"You better!" Kaito bellowed as he gave Takeshi a dig on his arm.  
"Guys, get along?" Junichiro suggest with a smile.  
"Ugh, fine." Kaito muttered.  
"Sounds good!" Takeshi laughed.  
"You still owe me a dessert." Kaito added. Takeshi began to sob, wiping fake tears from his eyes. Kaito rolled his eyes as Junichiro continued eating his lunch.

Ushio and Kumiko had finished their bentos and were heading back to their homeroom. As they reached the door of their class a voice called out from behind them. "Ushio wait!" They turned around and were met with the violet haired Yumi Koharu.  
"Oh, hi Koharu." Ushio said as Yumi clung onto her sleeve, gasping for air.  
"I'm almost late to class but I'm glad I found you."  
"What's up?" Ushio asked.  
"I'm at an audition tomorrow afternoon."  
"Oh? That's great!" Ushio said, giving a thumbs up.  
"Thanks! Thing is, i'm not going to be here for our meeting. I've got a list though for you and Kaito to go through. Just a few things I'd like you two to do for recruitment." Yumi said, still catching her breath.  
"Oh okay, sounds good."  
"Make sure he does something." Yumi said in a blunt voice as she handed a piece of paper to Ushio.  
"I will." Ushio laughed. "This is Kumiko by the way."  
"Hi, I'm Yumi Koharu" She said, sticking out a hand.  
"Nice to meet you." Kumiko said shaking Yumi's hand.  
"Okay, I really have to go! See you next week!" Yumi yelled, dashing off to her lesson.  
"She seemed nice." Kumiko laughed. "What do you have to do tomorrow?" She asked as Ushio was scanning over the paper.  
"We're making posters." Ushio replied. With that the two headed into their homeroom to continue the rest of their school day.

**~*2*~**

* * *

_Bit late with this. Forgive me! I actually had a lot of fun writing the second half of this. I'm sure you'll come to love the Juni/Kumiko potential pairing, I've got a lot planned. The next chapter, if everything goes according to plan should be up by next Saturday. Stay tuned! _


	3. A Long Walk Home

**~*3*~**

"I can't believe she's not here, what a hypocrite!" Kaito yelled as he read Yumi's instructions. It was a Friday afternoon, 3:15 pm; it was Ushio and Kaito's second drama club meeting. "She never shuts up about attendance to me, now look who's not here." He continued.  
"Sakumoto-kun, just relax okay? She's at an audition."  
"Look, Okazaki. If were going to be hanging out a lot, can you not call me 'Sakumoto-kun' please?" Kaito said, taking a seat on one of the chairs, placing his feet up onto the small table.  
"Why not?" Ushio asked.  
"I _really_ don't like my last name. Those suffixes just annoy me as well."  
"You know the word suffixes?" Ushio teased. Kaito gave her an annoyed look. "But you've been calling me Okazaki. If that's the case then I'd prefer it if you called me Ushio." She continued.  
"Yeah?" Kaito asked.  
"Yup" Ushio smiled.  
"Okay then Ushio, it's a deal." Kaito said, offering out a hand. Ushio shook it and they both laughed.  
"Right, now that's out of the way let's get down to business." Ushio said, taking the charge.  
"Do we have to? Can't we just... Do something fun?" Kaito asked as he placed his arms behind his head, stretching.  
"Koharu told me to make you do something." She replied, folding her arms. "Besides, we're only drawing a poster." Ushio brought out a case of pencils and some paper from her school bag. "Got any ideas?" She asked Kaito. Kaito took his feet off of the table and nudged in closer to it, staring at the sheet of paper. Ushio looked onwards at him, studying his face, wondering what he was thinking. He brushed his hand through his dark locks and yawned. "So?" Ushio asked.  
"So what?" Kaito asked, confused. Ushio gave him a cold look.  
"Have you got any ideas?" She asked again. Kaito leant over and took one of the pencils out of the case. He gave Ushio a grin.  
"Just a few" He said as he began drawing. A few minutes later he held up the piece of paper to show Ushio. The picture was of, what looked to be, Yumi except it had over exaggerated facial features. "This is sure to attract people to the club." Kaito laughed.  
"That's really mean." Ushio scolded.  
"Oh come on! I got Yumi's nose dead on!" He said, pointing to the abnormally large nose on the picture.  
"You mean Koharu and no you didn't!"  
"Yeah... We're not getting into names again." Retorted Kaito.  
"Can't you take this seriously?" Ushio asked as she screwed up Kaito's work of art. Throwing it over to the bin in the corner of the room.  
"Seriously? It's a drama club."  
"It's important to Koharu. Besides, it's fun."Ushio said, lightening the mood with her smile. Kaito looked at her for a moment, he felt very warm.  
"Okay." Kaito began. "I'll take it seriously." He said, returning the smile. Ushio gave a slight giggle and the two began their work together.

The clock reached 4:00 pm as Kaito began to stir. Ushio looked up at the sleepy boy, his head lay flat on the table. "Are you awake?" She asked tapping the top of his head. Kaito jolted up in shock.  
"I wasn't sleeping!" He cried. He came to his senses and his eyes landed on Ushio. "Was I?"  
"You fell asleep about 20 minutes ago." Ushio replied.  
"Crap. Sorry about that." He said, placing his arm behind his head and giving an uneasy laugh.  
"Don't worry I won't tell Koharu." Ushio laughed with a wink.  
"Thanks... Still I feel bad, so much for taking this seriously." He hung his head.  
"You stayed awake longer than expected though... Anyway look at this, I'm done." Ushio announced. Kaito lifted his head up. Ushio was holding up a large piece of paper.  
"Hey, that looks really good." Kaito said, rather surprised. The poster had a picture of a staging area on it with performers on stage. There were a few smaller illustrations scattered around the edges, a few masks and other props. In the middle the information for the club was written along with the club rep's name '_Yumi Koharu'_. As Kaito studied the poster his eyes came to the top of it, just above was Ushio's face, peering back. Kaito let out a small cough. "Yeah, it's great" He said "You're a really good drawer."  
"You really think so?" Ushio asked.  
"Yeah, it's brilliant. It almost makes me want to do drama... So you know it's good." He said with a laugh. Ushio blushed slightly, her cheeks looked sun kissed.  
"Thanks..." She replied. Kaito nodded.  
"What time is it?" He asked. Ushio looked at her watch.  
"Just past 4"  
"What do ya say we get off early today?" Suggested Kaito with a hopeful smile.  
"Only if you promise to stay awake for the full hour next time." Ushio bargained, raising an eyebrow. Kaito placed his hand on his chest.  
"I promise."

They came to the school gates. "Guess I'll see you later Kaito" Ushio said as she waved goodbye.  
"Okay then." Kaito replied. Ushio began walking down the path. Sakura trees lay at each side; they were beautiful this time of the year as the pink petals fell. Ushio was enjoying the view when she heard some footsteps coming up from behind. She turned around to see who it was. To her surprise it was Kaito following her. "Are you trying to walk me home?" Ushio asked, confused. Kaito came to a stop in front of her.  
"No." He replied "I'm walking this way."  
"I can see that." Ushio said. Kaito had a puzzled look on his face. "I thought you lived the other way?"  
"I do. I'm walking this way. Keshi lives this way" Explained Kaito.  
"Then why didn't you say anything before? When I said goodbye" She questioned.  
"I dunno. I thought you wanted to walk alone." Ushio shook her head at Kaito's words. "D'you want to walk together then?" He asked. Ushio let out a sigh.  
"If I must." She jested.  
"That's not funny." Kaito said, walking past her.  
"Don't be like that, I was only kidding!" She started walking after him. Kaito turned around and gave her a thumbs up.  
"So was I." He said.  
"That was mean!" Ushio cried.  
"Hey... I'm sorry."  
"I was only kidding." Ushio laughed.  
"Yeah this could go on for a while." Kaito said walking off again. Ushio ran after him trying to apologise.

"So what are you into?" Ushio asked as they walked down the busy road on the way to her home.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, you know. Hobbies and things like that." She replied. They came to a stop at a set of traffic lights. A few cars past and the light turned green, they continued walking.  
"Dunno really. I used to play rugby. Does that count?"  
"Of course. Why don't you play anymore?" She questioned with a puzzled face. She looked him up and down, her eyes landing on his broad shoulders. "You seem to have the build for it." Kaito's cheeks blushed.  
"Why are you so bothered about it?" He questioned, trying to stay cool.  
"I'm just curious." She replied with a shrug.  
"Yeah, well. You do know that curiosity killed the cat right?"  
"I've heard that." She said as they both smiled. They came to a small alley. It led to the rough area of the town, where Ushio would pass through everyday. Takeshi's home also lay past here.  
"Don't tell me you live in this part." Kaito said, commenting on the rundown buildings that lay at either side.  
"No, I have to come through here to get home." Ushio replied.  
"Well. I'd watch out. It can be pretty rough around here."  
"I know. It isn't as bad as it used to be though, there was a lot of gang violence back 15 years or so."  
"It's still dangerous though. A lot of bums live around here... Like Keshi." He laughed to himself. Ushio gave him a funny look. Kaito shrugged her off, he knew at least Junichiro would appreciate the joke.  
"Does your friend live here?" Ushio asked, making an attempt to understand what had just happened.  
"Nah, just on the outside of here."  
"So he doesn't cause trouble then?" She said with a grin, remembering the story Kaito had told her a few days ago involving their principle.  
"Not all the time. Trouble usually finds him. Then I have to get him out of it." He let out a sigh.  
"What kind of trouble?" She asked.  
"We've gotten into a few fights around here. Someone would say something to us and he can't help but to one up them." Kaito shrugged. "Then we have to take care of it. Only me and Keshi though. Juni doesn't really do much." Kaito chortled.  
"That's Junichiro right?"  
"Yep. Junichiro Akimoto. Why?"  
"My friend mentioned him, they're in maths together. She said you were his friend." She remarked. Kaito thought for a second.  
"Does she sit next to him?"  
"Yup." Ushio smiled.  
"And she listens to a lot of music?"  
"You have no idea." She said with a giggle. "Does he talk about her a lot?"  
"I suppose. He's pretty keen." He whispered.  
"So is she." Ushio replied. They looked at each other and an awkward pause followed. They both knew what was going on yet neither of them wanted to mention the elephant in the room. They made their way to the exit of the rundown streets. Takeshi's home was down a path to the left.  
"Well, anyways. Takeshi lives down here." He said, pointing.  
"Okay. I'll see you on Tuesday then." She stated bluntly as the awkwardness still hovered over them.  
"Right." He replied. Kaito turned and made his way to his friend's house. Ushio carried on walking home, thinking of the bizarre conversation that had taken place. Kaito was different, she thought to herself. She wanted to find out more about him but first, she had some news to tell Kumiko, one that would be sure to make her happy.

"I'm home!" Ushio announced, coming through the door.  
"I'm upstairs!" Her mother replied. Ushio placed her school bag down and climbed the stairs. She came to her parent's room, the door was open and inside was Nagisa, rummaging through a box.  
"Whatcha doing?" Ushio asked.  
"I'm just sorting through some old things." She replied as she pulled out some kind of toy. "Do you remember this?" She asked, handing the toy over to Ushio. It was rather old, chipped and scratched but it was still recognisable. It was a toy robot.  
"Oh yeah. This was one of the first things that dad bought me." She smiled. She held it to her chest. "I thought I'd lost it." Glancing over to the box, she looked at her mother. "What else is in there?"  
"Just a few photos and tapes. A few things of your dads."  
"What time is he home today?"  
"He'll be late again." Nagisa sighed.  
"He's always late." Remarked Ushio.  
"I know, I'm afraid it will be like this for a while though until I find another job." Nagisa explained "As much as I'd like to start working again it's easier said than done."  
"Can't you just work with Aki and Sanae?" Ushio asked, sounding a little worried.  
"It might come to that if I don't find anything soon." Nagisa gave her daughter a smile, trying to cheer her up. "Enough about that though, how was school?"  
"Fine, nothing special."  
"And the drama club?"  
"It was only me and Kaito today... It was fun." Ushio laughed.  
"Kaito? You're calling him by his first name?" Nagisa asked.  
"Yeah. He asked me to." Ushio said. Nagisa looked away from her daughter, hiding her smile. "What?" Asked Ushio.  
"Nothing, nothing." Nagisa replied shaking her off. Ushio folded her arms and scowled in annoyance. Her mother placed her arms on Ushio's shoulders. "Come on" She began "let's get dinner started, it's pork cutlet tonight." Ushio's frown turned into a wide smile. The two exited the room and headed into the kitchen to prepare their meal.

**~*3*~**

* * *

_I'm looking to put a chapter out every week. If I finish early though then the chapter will be released whenever I finish it. If you're waiting for the next chapter then I'd recommend reading the bold at the bottom of each untitled sneak peek that I will be putting up. The bold will update you on my progress for that chapter. Basically it's just 500 words or so from the beginning of the chapter and gives you a little taste of what's to come. I'll probably be doing this with most chapters. Stay tuned!_


	4. Junichiro Akimoto

_(2nd April 2014) I'm really sorry I haven't updated guys. I've had a bit of a family crisis so I had to put Chapter 4 on hold for a bit. It'll be out by Friday at the latest I promise you (Okay so it turned out to be Saturday morning...) and Chapter 5 will be up by next Tuesday. Also thanks for the continuing support, means a lot. Stay Tuned!_

_**Just a heads up, if you haven't read chapter 3 after March 31st 2014 then I'd recommend that you do. It's revised with a few changes and an added scene at the end._

* * *

**~*4*~**

The sun crept in through the blinds of the window. It came to a rest over a bed. The person under the covers stirred as a head of red hair popped out from under it. Junichiro's eyes met the sun's rays as he let out a moan. He looked over to his alarm; it read 7:56 am. School in an hour... better get up, he thought to himself. He pulled back the covers and brought his legs down to the ground. Stretching with a yawn, he looked around his bedroom. It was very tidy, in complete contrast of both of his friend's rooms; it perfectly reflected Juni, clean and tidy... simple. He walked over to his set of drawers, opening the top one he pulled out some underwear and socks. He placed them neatly on top of his school uniform which lay folded on a chair by his desk. He exited his room and made his way into the bathroom to wash up.

15 minutes later Juni was fully dressed. After making his bed he went downstairs into the kitchen. His mother, Junko, was sat down at the table with his father, Isao. They both had bright red hair that matched Juni's. "Hello son" his father greeted him as Juni walked through the kitchen's arch way.  
"Morning sweetie" His mother added.  
"Good morning." Juni replied to the both of them.  
"School today?" His father asked, already knowing the answer.  
"Yes dad, like every Saturday it's a half day."  
"You're keeping those grades up right?" Isao asked.  
"I'm trying." Juni said rather blunt.  
"How's about some breakfast?" Suggested his mother.  
"I can get it myself mom, its okay."  
"No, no. Sit down by your father and I'll make some rice and a cup of tea." Juni sighed and took a seat across from his father. Isao held a newspaper up in front of his face. Juni knew what he would be looking at.  
"College requirements are becoming steeper apparently." He said to himself.  
"Is that so?" Junko muttered, fixing up a plate of rice. Juni pulled out his phone. Bringing up the message screen he sent a text to Kaito. "He's at it again, how long are you going to be?" it read. He didn't exactly expect a reply; it wasn't in his friend's nature. He placed the phone back in his pocket. Looking up he met his father's eyes.  
"Take it easy on that" He said "I'm still paying for it."  
"I only ever use it to talk to Kaito and Takeshi." Juni stated.  
"You're still seeing those two? I've told you they're trouble makers." His father remarked.  
"They're my friends." Juni retorted.  
"I don't know about Takeshi" His mother began "But Kaito is a nice boy, Isao".  
"If you say so." He replied.  
"Look, just beca-" Juni was cut off by a knock on the door. Finally, he thought. He walked out of the kitchen towards the front door. Opening it to reveal Kaito on the over side. The dark hair boy yawned.  
"We off?" He asked Juni.  
"You're up early." Juni laughed.  
"Yeah... Well my attendance isn't gonna sort itself out now is it?" Kaito said.  
"That's true." Juni laughed as he turned to pick up his bag from the bottom of the stairs which lay in front of the door. He shouted to his parents.  
"I'm off to school!"  
"What about your breakfast?" His mother cried.  
"I'll get something later!" he yelled as he shut the door behind him, heading out onto the street.

"It's really that bad?" Kaito asked as they made their way down the road to school.  
"He never shuts up about it. It's always college this and college that." Juni complained. "He never let's me breathe."  
"Your moms okay though?" Questioned Kaito.  
"Yeah sure" Juni said quietly.  
"What?"  
"She never tells him to stop. She just nods along" Juni gave a sigh. "It just seems like they want me out of the house. My dad keeps talking about colleges abroad, in England and America."  
"That's good though, isn't it?" Asked Kaito.  
"I suppose..." Juni gave Kaito a smile. "So how are things at yours?" He asked.  
"Same old, I don't really wanna talk about it." Kaito stated as Juni replied with a nod. After about 20 minutes of conversation Kaito and Juni came to the school gate.  
"We're quite early" Juni began "Keshi will be late right?" He wondered out loud.  
"Yep." Kaito replied. "Come on; let's go chill by the trees for a bit." They headed over to the patch of grass which lay beneath a cluster of trees. It was a warm morning for November so Kaito was stretched out on the grass as Juni sat up, his head buried in a book. Soon the school's courtyard became flooded with students, ready to begin the day. 10 minutes passed, Juni was finishing a page of his book when he heard a voice call over. "Hey geek. Whatcha reading today?" Juni's head rose. It was a common sight, for Juni at least. A large boy was walking up to him accompanied by two other boys. "Is it a porno?" One of the other two asked, ripping the book from Juni's hands. Juni stayed silent as Kaito shot up.  
"Give it back." He demanded.  
"Ehh, it's just some shitty math book that the geek was reading." The boy mocked.  
"Give it back!" Kaito shouted. The boy looked towards Kaito and launched the book at him. Kaito dodged it as it nearly connected with his head. The three bullies were laughing, pointing at Juni and Kaito. Juni remained silent still. Kaito dashed forwards, fists raised as his blow met the boys gut. The boy winced in pain. Suddenly the larger boy made a move as the crowd of school kids gathered around, chanting "Fight! Fight!" Kaito began trading blows with the larger boy as Juni and the two other boys kept out of the way. On the other side of the crowd, by the gates a fair haired boy dragged his body in, half asleep. The crowd's voice shook him awake. He ran over to the group of people, trying to make out the figures in the middle. He saw who it was and, as a natural reaction, darted into the fight, tackling the large boy as he did. "Keshi!?" Kaito shouted, shocked. Keshi got off the large boy.  
"Hey man!" He laughed as the two other boys jumped him. The larger boy got up and charged for Kaito. Juni remained to the side with the crowd, watching his friends defend him.

Ushio and Kumiko made their way towards the school gates. "What's going on?" Kumiko asked as they saw the large crowd of students.  
"I think someone's fighting." Ushio replied. Gazing over she noticed a familiar face, Yumi. Her violet hair stood out among the students. "Come on." Ushio said, grabbing Kumiko's hand and pulling her along. They rushed over to the crowd and met Yumi. "Koharu!" Ushio yelled as she tapped Yumi on the back.  
"Ushio, Kumiko!" Yumi said as she turned around.  
"What's going on?" Ushio asked.  
"It's Kaito, he's fighting again." Yumi sighed.  
"Again?" Kumiko asked.  
"This happens every now and again." Yumi explained as the boys continued to fight. Kaito and Takeshi were managing to hold the 3 boys off as Juni stayed behind them. Yumi, Ushio and Kumiko made there way to the front of the crowd. Juni looked over and noticed Kumiko staring at him; he hung his head in shame. Ushio was about to cry out when two men hurried over to the crowd of students. Breaking through, a man grabbed Takeshi and Kaito while the other one had a hold of the 3 other boys.  
"Right! Everyone, go to class. Now!" One of the men shouted. The students began to disperse. Yumi gestured for the other two girls to follow her inside. Kumiko's gaze left Juni as she followed. The two men dragged the boys inside as Juni was left alone in the middle of the school yard. He walked over to his math book which lay on the floor, trampled from the hoards of students. Brushing down the book, he placed it in his school bag. Silently, he made his way inside the school. This was a natural occurrence for Juni, the quiet and scared Junichiro Akimoto...

Kaito and Takeshi stood against the wall outside the staffroom. They had been separated from the other boys who had been taken to their respective homeroom teachers. "Thanks for jumping in." Kaito said.  
"It's not like Juni would have done anything." Takeshi replied. Kaito let out a sigh.  
"Don't blame him man, it's not his fault."  
"Yeah, I know. You'd think he'd be over it all by now though."  
"Yeah well, he's different." Kaito replied. The staffroom door swung open as their homeroom teacher, Mr. Miyagi came out.  
"Follow me boys." He said as he passed them. They came to spare classroom. "Takeshi, wait out here. I'll speak to you after." Takeshi took a seat outside as Kaito followed Mr. Miyagi into the classroom. They sat at a desk as Kaito lay back in his chair, bracing himself. To his surprise his teacher was rather calm. "Why is it always you?" He asked. Kaito looked at him.  
"You know why." Kaito mumbled.  
"It's always the same excuse; you're always defending your friend."  
"It's not my fault."  
"Look" Mr. Miyagi began. "You're so close to being expelled Kaito. Do you want to graduate?"  
"Is that a trick question?" He retorted.  
"Please. For once take this seriously."  
"...Yes I want to graduate." He muttered.  
"I really like you Kaito, honestly I do. You're a good kid but you always find a way to get into trouble." Mr. Miyagi sighed. "I can't keep sticking my neck out for you."  
"I'm sorry." Kaito replied honestly.  
"You have to promise me that you're really going to try, one more slip up and you'll be out. Understand?" Kaito nodded. "How's the drama club treating you?"  
"It's actually not that bad, we've only had two meetings but it's okay."  
"Who knows, you end up enjoying it." His teacher laughed.  
"Yeah sure" Kaito said, hiding his grin.  
"And your attendance?"  
"I'm attending everyday, on time. I really am trying."  
"Good." Mr. Miyagi said, smiling. "Now, send Takeshi in and get to class. I'll let the principle know that the fight wasn't a big deal. You'll be fine. It can't happen again though."  
"Thanks." Kaito said as he walked out of the room. Takeshi was still sat in the chair outside, his head tilted to the side, asleep. Kaito flicked him on the forehead.  
"Ow!" Takeshi yelled as he woke.  
"Your turn." Kaito laughed. "Good luck" he said.  
"Gee, thanks." Takeshi replied in a sarcastic manner. Kaito headed off to his first class of the day as Takeshi dragged himself into the classroom, also bracing himself for what lay ahead.

Juni sat down at his desk, flicking through his math book. It was 11:15 am, Juni's math class was about to be in session. The rest of the students began filling the room, sitting in their assigned seats. The chair next to Juni was pulled out as a girl sat next to him, it was Kumiko. "Hi" she said. Juni gave her a smile as her returned to his book. "So what was this morning about?" She asked, unpacking her bag.  
"Nothing." Juni said in a quiet voice. Kumiko looked over Juni, noticing his damaged math book.  
**"What happened to your book then?"**  
"These guys took it and threw it a Kaito, it got trampled during... the fight."  
"So that's why it started? Those guys were picking on you?" Kumiko asked. Juni looked up at her, eyes fixed.  
"It's not like it's surprising okay? It's not a big deal." He said, returning his gaze to his book.  
"Well did you tell anyone about it?"  
"No. I assume Kaito did."  
"Does he always stick up for you like tha-"  
"Look. I don't want to talk about it okay?" Juni interrupted. Some of the other students began to stare at them. Seeing this, Juni buried his head deeper into his book, hiding his face.  
"Sorry." Kumiko uttered quietly... Juni didn't reply, he kept on reading. An hour passed, the lesson was coming to an end and Juni stilled hadn't spoken to Kumiko. The school bell rang and the students began to pack away their books.  
"I'm sorry..." Juni said as Kumiko was about to leave. "I didn't mean to be rude." Kumiko gave him a gentle smile.  
"I know" she whispered. She then left the room, walking past two boys who where leaning against the wall outside the classroom, Kaito and Takeshi. Juni sighed and followed.  
"Hey man, coming for lunch?" Kaito asked.  
"Sure." He said.  
"You got a bento right? I'm starving" Takeshi said.  
"Not this again." Kaito scowled. Juni laughed as the other two joined him and they headed towards the cafeteria for lunch. This was just an ordinary day for Juni; nothing unusual had happened today, not for him. An ordinary day in the life of Juni, the quiet and scared Junichiro Akimoto.

**~*4*~**

* * *

_I hope you liked this chapter. It may have been a little slow but I really want you to get to know Juni, he's become my favourite character. *Probably going to be referring to him as Juni from now on in the description, you obviously know who he is now. Plus it's a pain to keep writing Junichiro every time! ^_^* the next chapter will be up by Tuesday (Promise!) Stay tuned!_


	5. Works of Art

~*5*~

"Fujimoto!" Mr. Miyagi yelled as he marked the register. No answer. Mr. Miyagi's eyes gazed over to Takeshi's seat. Takeshi's head lay flat on the desk, his body slowly breathing in and out. He was asleep. "Fujimoto!" he repeated. The rest of the class turned their attention to the back of the room, staring at the sleeping Takeshi. "Sakumoto, wake him up." Mr. Miyagi ordered. Kaito lent over to his right, perching over Takeshi. He raised his fist and brought it down up the wooden lid of Takeshi's desk with a force. A large thud rang in Takeshi's ears as his head shot up.  
"Ah! What the hell!" He cried. The other students began to laugh while Kaito slumped back to his seat. Takeshi looked towards the front as he focused on his teacher.  
"Fujimoto, are you here or not." Mr. Miyagi asked. Takeshi gave a worried nod. The students began to settle down as Mr. Miyagi continued to do the register. Takeshi slipped back into his previous position, awake this time. He turned his head to the left.  
"Psst, Kaito." He whispered. Kaito looked over to his friend.  
"What?"  
"I've got the stuff." Takeshi continued, keeping his hushed tone.  
"What stuff?" Kaito asked.  
"You know." Takeshi replied, winking at his friend.  
"Oh right." Kaito said, still not sure what Takeshi was referring to. Takeshi gave him a thumbs up as he returned to his snooze. Kaito began to wonder what his friend had meant. What could he possibly have with him? He thought. Then one image entered his mind. It was something he and Takeshi had spoken of a while back, something they said they should try, Weed. Kaito looked back over; Takeshi was fiddling with something in his bag. It must be it, Kaito thought... Sweet.  
"...And Shima." Mr. Miyagi concluded.  
"Here." The boy replied. Their teacher marked the register. There was a knock at the classroom door.  
"Come in." Mr. Miyagi yelled. The door opened as a student walked in.  
"Mr. Miyagi, Yoshino-Sensei sent me to ask for some help."  
"With what?" Mr. Miyagi questioned.  
"She's placing up an art display." The student explained.  
"I'll tell you what; I'll send some students in my stead." Mr. Miyagi looked around the classroom. A few students offered their help, hands up in the air. Kaito and Yumi were among them. "Okay, Koharu, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Sakumoto." The four students got up from their desks and walked towards the classroom door. "Sakumoto hold on." Kaito stopped. "Take Fujimoto with you, he might be of more use to Mrs. Yoshino than to me." Mr. Miyagi laughed. Kaito looked over to Takeshi who had somehow completely fallen asleep again. He walked over and repeated his previous slam on Takeshi's desk. Takeshi jumped up yelling as the class laughed at him once again.

Following the Art student down the hallway Kaito and Takeshi hung at the back of the group. "When we having it pal?" Kaito asked.  
"Huh?"  
"You know the stuff in your bag?"  
"Oh, lunch I guess. Shall we give some to Juni?" Takeshi asked.  
"He won't want any." Kaito laughed  
"True, he'll probably have his own."  
"What?" Kaito asked, shocked. Before Takeshi could answer a voice came from in front.  
"What are you two doing?" The violet haired girl asked, arms folded, suspicious.  
"Nothing Yumi, just talking." Kaito said with an uneasy laugh. Yumi looked at him and turned her gaze to Takeshi.  
"You better not be getting him into anymore trouble. I need him for the drama club." Yumi  
said, rolling her eyes.  
"Whatever" Takeshi replied.  
"I'm serious, I saw the fight."  
"What? That wasn't even me, I jumped in after it had started." Takeshi explained.  
"But you were still there right?" Yumi said, wagging her finger at Takeshi.  
"Yeah..." Takeshi replied.  
"You attract trouble, keep him out of it."  
"Don't worr-" Kaito began, before he was cut off by Takeshi.  
"Why are you so bothered!? You in love with the guy?" Takeshi yelled, teasing Yumi with a little rhyme. "Kaito and Yumi sitting in a tre-" Takeshi felt a blow to his stomach, he fell to the ground, wincing in pain. Yumi's face was bright red, from anger. Her piercing blue eyes glaring at the quivering, fair haired boy.  
"N... Ni... Nice shot." Takeshi whimpered as tears came to the corner of his green eyes. Kaito pulled him up off the ground. Yumi's face had regained its normal colour.  
"Next time you won't get up." She said with a mischievous smile.  
"I'll keep that in mind." Takeshi retorted.  
"Hurry up you three!" One of the other students yelled from in front. They continued on, following the others.

After making their way down the stairs the students came to the assembly hall. The large hall would usually be used for services such as enrolment and graduation however; all the seats had been moved revealing just the empty stage. Their footsteps echoed as they made their way to the centre of the room where a few tables lay. There were a few students around the tables, decorating banners and posters. A pretty woman with short brown hair stood next to them. "Yoshino-Sensei, I've brought some people." Announced the Art student.  
"At last!" Mrs. Yoshino said with a bright smile beaming on her face. She turned her attention to the five students. "The other students here are creating banners and posters, I'd like you to pair off and pin up the completed ones around the school." She pointed to a large pile of banners to one side.  
"But miss; there are only five of us." Yumi stated.  
"I'll send someone with you." She turned to her group of students, half of them hadn't even realised that another group had come to help. "Class, does anyone want to help these five put up the banners and posters?" No one raised a hand, except one. "Okazaki, I can always count on you," Mrs. Yoshino smiled. Ushio came over to join Yumi and Kaito, she gave them a smile as she approached.  
"Hey, Ushio! This is a coincidence." Yumi said.  
"What are you doing here?" Kaito asked.  
"I'm in Yoshino-Sensei's Art class. We're helping with the Founder's Festival."  
"What? But that's not 'till like June!" Takeshi remarked.  
"It's in February you idiot." Yumi sighed. Kaito chuckled. "It is a bit early to start putting up banners though isn't it?"  
"I know but Yoshino-Sensei wanted to prepare early this year. It's a very special day for her. She always brings her little sister."  
"How do you know that?" Kaito questioned.  
"She's a family friend." Ushio said smiling.  
"Get to work guys!" Mrs. Yoshino said in an encouraging manner as she placed them in pairs. The six students headed out to place up what Ushio referred to as 'works of art'. Takeshi and Yumi went one way, Kaito and Ushio another.

* * *

_I've been trying to get the second half to work but I can't seem to manage it right now. As I'm writing this its 11:09 PM, I'm tired and I need to be up at 7:00 AM. I thought I'd at least give you guys a good half of a chapter than a really bad, full one. I'll be doing some more work on this tomorrow so expect it then._

**_Read the update!_**


	6. Quite a big Update!

_Okay, sorry I haven't updated this week. This next week I'm going on a work placement so I won't have anytime to work on anymore chapters. The week after that is my holiday off from college so I most likely won't be doing much then either. There's a bright side to all of this though, I've decided to extend the number of chapters I will be doing for this fanfic. Infact, i'm doubling it. I'm now planning on doing 40 - 50 chapters. I've been writing out the episode summaries and planning the events to come. I tried to do it in about 25 chapters and it came off as rushed. I don't want to start extending the length of the chapters as, personally I feel that the chapters work best as being 2000 - 3000 words long. I have exams coming up over the next few months so I'll be revising for those. My work on Ushio's Story will be part of my schedule. So, in two weeks I'll be back to full form with one or two chapters posted weekly._

_If you're following this story then you'll most likely know that I have plans for a follow up story. It will take place after this story and follow the lives of the characters Ushio, Kaito, Keshi etc after their graduation as they mature, get jobs and live in the real world. Again, that will most likely be 40 or so chapters but i'll see how I feel about that when the time comes. I may do a few side stories for some of the characters but yet again we'll see about that, Kaito and Keshi's Misadventures? :3_

_Anyways, thanks for following the story (If you are) and for the reviews. I really appreciate the feedback and kind words so far, you guys are awesome! So, stick with it and I'll see you in two weeks! _

_27th April - Rest of chapter 5 and chapter 6._


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